1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of system-on-chip (SoC) technology and, more particularly, to a system-on-chip with shield rings surrounding the specific functional blocks such as analogy/mixed-signal, RF signal, and/or memory blocks for the purposes of eliminating electromagnetic or static electricity interference.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Today the functionality and economics of many consumer products are being transformed by “system-on-chip” (SoC) technology. The continuing increase in the transistor densities means that it is now possible to integrate the processor, peripherals and some or all of the system memory on a single chip.
For SoC applications, it is desirable to integrate many functional blocks into a single integrated circuit. The most commonly used blocks include a microprocessor or micro-controller, static random access memory (SRAM) blocks, non-volatile memory blocks, and various special function logic blocks.
Frequencies are continuously increasing, while integration trends are squeezing entire systems into extraordinary high circuit densities. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) and signal coupling caused by EMI are becoming exceptionally crucial issues in the design of modern SoC systems.
In light of the above, there is a need in this industry to provide a solution that the EMI problems can be addressed or eliminated as early as possible during the design phase both on the aspect of the cost and on aspect of the time-to-market of the products.